Texas is one of nine states that automatically classify 17-year-olds as adults when they’re accused of crimes. Campaigns to “raise the age” are gathering momentum in some states, and Texas is facing a spirited debate of its own.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
Congress Fully Funds Homeland Security
The 8,900 U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed on Texas’ border with Mexico can clock in next week knowing they’re still going to get paid after Congress on Tuesday voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September.
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Criminal Justice
New Sheriff Arrives at Troubled Health Agency
The new chief watchdog for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission told lawmakers Monday he plans to right the embattled department by going after fraud and waste outside and inside the $37 billion state social services empire.
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Criminal Justice
More Troopers, Less Surging Under GOP Border Bill
The border security bill unveiled by House Republicans on Monday is supposed to end the sporadic surges and establish a systematic, consistent state law enforcement presence on the border.
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Criminal Justice
Dewhurst Adviser Gets 7 Years for Embezzling Millions
Buddy Barfield, once an adviser to former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.
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Criminal Justice
Who’s Enforcing Perry’s E-Verify Order?
State agencies are operating on the honor system when it comes to former Gov. Rick Perry’s December mandate that they use E-Verify to screen their workers. Two months after his order, there isn’t a state office tasked with enforcement.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
UT/TT Poll: Voters Less Open to Open Carry
Most Texans support carrying guns in public, but only a minority supports carrying them openly, whether the carriers are licensed or not, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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Criminal Justice
Rodney Reed Wins Stay of Execution
The state’s highest criminal court on Monday issued a stay of execution for Rodney Reed so new evidence can be considered that defense attorneys say proves their client’s innocence.
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Criminal Justice
Perry Attorneys Challenge Amended Indictment
An amended indictment against Rick Perry is “woefully deficient” and should be rejected, the former governor’s attorneys said in a court document filed Monday.
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Criminal Justice
Judge Urges Lawmakers to Fix School Finance
Retired state District Judge John Dietz, who found the Texas school finance system unconstitutional last year, told teachers Sunday that Texas is “dooming a generation” of children. The Legislature, not the courts, should fix the problems, he said.
